Bayern Munich Bayern Munich Hoffenheim Hoffenheim Man Utd Manchester United Sterling could have told referee it wasn't a penalty - Guardiola Man City boss Pep Guardiola says Raheem Sterling could have told referee Viktor Kassai it was wrong to award a penalty in the Champions League tie against Shakhtar Donetsk.

Lukaku's moment is not sweet - Mourinho. Is this the best Juventus team of all time? A big part of the performance was my fault - Klopp.

England has the largest number of winning teams, with five clubs having won the title. The competition has been won by 22 clubs, 12 of which have won it more than once.

Nations Cup , the first attempt to create a cup for national champion clubs of Europe, was played and organised by Swiss club Servette.

The first edition of the European Cup took place during the —56 season. Martin in the Fields. The chorus contains the three official languages used by UEFA: English, German, and French.

In addition to the anthem, there is also entrance music, which contains parts of the anthem itself, which is played as teams enter the field.

Special vocal versions have been performed live at the Champions League Final with lyrics in other languages, changing over to the host nation's language for the chorus.

In the final at Wembley Stadium , the chorus was played twice. In Kiev , the instrumental version of the chorus was played by 2Cellos.

This resulted in the anthem, "house colours" of black and white or silver and a logo, and the "starball". According to TEAM, "Irrespective of whether you are a spectator in Moscow or Milan, you will always see the same stadium dressing materials, the same opening ceremony featuring the 'starball' centre circle ceremony, and hear the same UEFA Champions League Anthem".

Based on research it conducted, TEAM concluded that by , "the starball logo had achieved a recognition rate of 94 percent among fans".

Since —10 season , the UEFA Champions League begins with a double round-robin group stage of 32 teams, which is preceded by two qualification 'streams' for teams that do not receive direct entry to the tournament proper.

The two streams are divided between teams qualified by virtue of being league champions, and those qualified by virtue of finishing 2nd—4th in their national championship.

The higher an association's coefficient, the more teams represent the association in the Champions League, and the fewer qualification rounds the association's teams must compete in.

Four of the remaining six qualifying places are granted to the winners of a six-round qualifying tournament between the remaining 43 or 44 national champions, within which those champions from associations with higher coefficients receive byes to later rounds.

The other two are granted to the winners of a three-round qualifying tournament between the 11 clubs from the associations ranked 5 through 15, which have qualified based upon finishing second, or third in their respective national league.

In addition to sporting criteria, any club must be licensed by its national association to participate in the Champions League.

To obtain a license, the club must meet certain stadium, infrastructure, and finance requirements.

In —06 season , Liverpool and Artmedia Bratislava became the first teams to reach the Champions League group stage after playing in all three qualifying rounds.

Real Madrid holds the record for the most consecutive appearances in the group stage, having qualified 21 times in a row —present.

They are followed by Arsenal on 19 — [49] and Manchester United on 18 — Between and , no differentiation was made between champions and non-champions in qualification.

The 16 top ranked teams spread across the biggest domestic leagues qualified directly for the tournament group stage.

Prior to this, three preliminary knockout qualifying rounds whittled down the remaining teams, with teams starting in different rounds. An exception to the usual European qualification system happened in , after Liverpool won the Champions League the year before, but did not finish in a Champions League qualification place in the Premier League that season.

However, for those leagues with four entrants in the Champions League, this meant that, if the Champions League winner fell outside of its domestic league's top four, it would qualify at the expense of the fourth-placed team in the league.

Until —16, no association could have more than four entrants in the Champions League. In May , [54] it was decided that, starting from the —16 season and continuing at least for the three-year cycle until the —18 season , the winners of the previous season's UEFA Europa League would qualify for the UEFA Champions League, entering at least the play-off round, and entering the group stage if the berth reserved for the Champions League title holders was not used.

The previous limit of a maximum of four teams per association was increased from four to five, meaning that a fourth-placed team from one of the top three ranked associations would only have to be moved to the Europa League if both the Champions League and Europa League winners came from that association and both finished outside the top four of their domestic league.

The top four leagues in Europe are allowed to enter four teams into the Champions League. In , Michel Platini , the UEFA president, had proposed taking one place from the three leagues with four entrants and allocating it to that nation's cup winners.

This was part of Platini's plan to increase the number of teams qualifying directly into the group stage, while simultaneously increasing the number of teams from lower-ranked nations in the group stage.

The phrase was coined after a pre-match conference when he was questioned about Arsenal's lack of a trophy after exiting the FA Cup.

He said "The first trophy is to finish in the top four". The tournament proper begins with a group stage of 32 teams, divided into eight groups.

Seeding is used whilst making the draw for this stage, whilst teams from the same nation may not be drawn into groups together. Each team meets the others in its group home and away in a round-robin format.

The winning team and the runners-up from each group then progress to the next round. For this stage, the winning team from one group plays against the runners-up from another group, and teams from the same association may not be drawn against each other.

From the quarter-finals onwards, the draw is entirely random, without association protection. The tournament uses the away goals rule: The group stage is played from September to December, whilst the knock-out stage starts in February.

The knock-out ties are played in a two-legged format, with the exception of the final. This is typically held in the final two weeks of May.

The maximum number of teams that an association can field in the tournament has also been increased from four to five. The top four clubs from the four top-ranked national associations will receive guaranteed qualification automatically for the group stage.

The Europa League holders also will automatically qualify for the group stage. Changes will be made to the access list above, if the Champions League or Europa League title holders qualify for the tournament via their domestic leagues.

A referee is initially placed into Category 4 with the exception of referees from France, Germany, England, Italy, or Spain.

Referees from these five countries are typically comfortable with top professional matches and are therefore directly placed into Category 3.

Galatasaray 0 Schalke 0. To obtain a license, the club must meet certain stadium, infrastructure, and finance requirements.

In —06 season , Liverpool and Artmedia Bratislava became the first teams to reach the Champions League group stage after playing in all three qualifying rounds.

Real Madrid holds the record for the most consecutive appearances in the group stage, having qualified 21 times in a row —present.

They are followed by Arsenal on 19 — [49] and Manchester United on 18 — Between and , no differentiation was made between champions and non-champions in qualification.

The 16 top ranked teams spread across the biggest domestic leagues qualified directly for the tournament group stage. Prior to this, three preliminary knockout qualifying rounds whittled down the remaining teams, with teams starting in different rounds.

An exception to the usual European qualification system happened in , after Liverpool won the Champions League the year before, but did not finish in a Champions League qualification place in the Premier League that season.

However, for those leagues with four entrants in the Champions League, this meant that, if the Champions League winner fell outside of its domestic league's top four, it would qualify at the expense of the fourth-placed team in the league.

Until —16, no association could have more than four entrants in the Champions League. In May , [54] it was decided that, starting from the —16 season and continuing at least for the three-year cycle until the —18 season , the winners of the previous season's UEFA Europa League would qualify for the UEFA Champions League, entering at least the play-off round, and entering the group stage if the berth reserved for the Champions League title holders was not used.

The previous limit of a maximum of four teams per association was increased from four to five, meaning that a fourth-placed team from one of the top three ranked associations would only have to be moved to the Europa League if both the Champions League and Europa League winners came from that association and both finished outside the top four of their domestic league.

The top four leagues in Europe are allowed to enter four teams into the Champions League. In , Michel Platini , the UEFA president, had proposed taking one place from the three leagues with four entrants and allocating it to that nation's cup winners.

This was part of Platini's plan to increase the number of teams qualifying directly into the group stage, while simultaneously increasing the number of teams from lower-ranked nations in the group stage.

The phrase was coined after a pre-match conference when he was questioned about Arsenal's lack of a trophy after exiting the FA Cup.

He said "The first trophy is to finish in the top four". The tournament proper begins with a group stage of 32 teams, divided into eight groups. Seeding is used whilst making the draw for this stage, whilst teams from the same nation may not be drawn into groups together.

Each team meets the others in its group home and away in a round-robin format. The winning team and the runners-up from each group then progress to the next round.

For this stage, the winning team from one group plays against the runners-up from another group, and teams from the same association may not be drawn against each other.

From the quarter-finals onwards, the draw is entirely random, without association protection. The tournament uses the away goals rule: The group stage is played from September to December, whilst the knock-out stage starts in February.

The knock-out ties are played in a two-legged format, with the exception of the final. This is typically held in the final two weeks of May.

The maximum number of teams that an association can field in the tournament has also been increased from four to five.

The top four clubs from the four top-ranked national associations will receive guaranteed qualification automatically for the group stage. The Europa League holders also will automatically qualify for the group stage.

Changes will be made to the access list above, if the Champions League or Europa League title holders qualify for the tournament via their domestic leagues.

A referee is initially placed into Category 4 with the exception of referees from France, Germany, England, Italy, or Spain.

Referees from these five countries are typically comfortable with top professional matches and are therefore directly placed into Category 3.

Each referee's performance is observed and evaluated after every match; his category may be revised twice per season, but a referee cannot be promoted directly from Category 3 to the Elite Category.

Referees are appointed based on previous matches, marks, performances, and fitness levels. To discourage bias, the Champions League takes nationality into account.

No referee may be of the same origins as any club in his or her respecting groups. After a consensus is made, the name of the appointed referee remains confidential up to two days before the match for the purpose of minimising public influence.

Since , a UEFA international referee cannot exceed the age of 45 years. After turning 45, a referee must step down at the end of his season.

The age limit was established to ensure an elite level of fitness. Today, UEFA Champions League referees are required to pass a fitness test even to be considered at the international level.

Each year, the winning team is presented with the European Champion Clubs' Cup, the current version of which has been awarded since Any team that wins the Champions League three years in a row or five times overall wins the right to retain a full-sized replica of the trophy UEFA retains the original at all times.

Six clubs have earned this honour: It was designed by Jörg Stadelmann, a jeweller from Bern , Switzerland , after the original was given to Real Madrid in in recognition of their six titles to date, and cost 10, Swiss francs.

As of the —13 season, 40 gold medals are presented to the Champions League winners, and 40 silver medals to the runners-up.

As of —19, the fixed amount of prize money paid to the clubs is as follows: A large part of the distributed revenue from the UEFA Champions League is linked to the "market pool", the distribution of which is determined by the value of the television market in each nation.

When the Champions League was created in , it was decided that a maximum of eight companies should be allowed to sponsor the event, with each corporation being allocated four advertising boards around the perimeter of the pitch, as well as logo placement at pre- and post-match interviews and a certain number of tickets to each match.

This, combined with a deal to ensure tournament sponsors were given priority on television advertisements during matches, ensured that each of the tournament's main sponsors was given maximum exposure.

From the —13 knockout phase , UEFA used LED advertising hoardings installed in knock-out participant stadiums, including the final stage.

From the —16 season onwards, UEFA has used such hoardings from the play-off round until the final. The tournament's current main sponsors are: Adidas is a secondary sponsor and supplies the official match ball, the Adidas Finale , and referee uniform.

Individual clubs may wear jerseys with advertising. However, only one sponsorship is permitted per jersey in addition to that of the kit manufacturer.

Exceptions are made for non-profit organisations, which can feature on the front of the shirt, incorporated with the main sponsor or in place of it; or on the back, either below the squad number or on the collar area.

If clubs play a match in a nation where the relevant sponsorship category is restricted such as France's alcohol advertising restriction , then they must remove that logo from their jerseys.

The competition attracts an extensive television audience, not just in Europe, but throughout the world. The final of the tournament has been, in recent years, the most-watched annual sporting event in the world.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. For the table tennis competition, see European Champions League table tennis.

For the trophy, see European Champion Clubs' Cup. For other uses, see European Cup disambiguation. This article is about the men's competition.

When you hear the anthem it captivates you straight away. UEFA member nation that has been represented in the group stage.

UEFA member nation that has not been represented in the group stage. European Champion Clubs' Cup. Absolute Sports Private Limited. Retrieved 31 December Union of European Football Associations.

Retrieved 23 May Retrieved 2 August Retrieved 30 December Retrieved 5 September Retrieved 14 August Archived from the original on 3 October Sport Lisboa e Benfica.

Retrieved 17 August Retrieved 16 August

The 32 teams are drawn into eight groups of four teams and play each other in a double round-robin system. We believe we can qualify - Pochettino. AjaxReal MadridMilan. Oosthuizen closes on Garcia at Nedbank. The 16 top ranked teams spread across the biggest domestic leagues qualified directly for the tournament group stage. Top Scorers Champions League Home. When you hear the anthem it captivates you straight away. Retrieved 3 October Juventus' trip to Manchester United zahlungsmethoden casino Cristiano Ronaldo face his old club, but he does not boast a great record against Jose Mourinho. Retrieved 13 August